Saturday, October 1, 2016

A Cinematic History of Horror for Hallowe'en On Roku - DAY 01: Beheadings, Vampires & Skeletons (1895-1898)

Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...

... and welcome to 'Day One' of "A Cinematic History of Horror for Hallowe'en On Roku" in which I aim to bring you the first batch of fright flicks from the vast back-catalogue of macabre movies that have been thrilling cinema-goers for more than a century and can now be streamed to your television sets via the magic of Roku player - so, let's dim the lights... and prepare for some frights! :-O

If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published yesterday, then you'll know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one horror movie per year from cinematic history, starting in 1895 and ending in 2016. This should average out at about four films per day, so you'll have plenty of choice for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en on October 31st! ;-)

To get things started, we're going all the way back to the 19th century for some of the earliest horror cinema footage ever recorded on film. The four movies included in today's post are from 1895 - 1898 (inclusive) and feature beheadings, vampires, skeletons and nightmarish dreams. Obviously, bearing in mind the time period during which they were made, they are all short films and fall into the silent movie category plus there are visible signs of wear and tear to the film footage but, despite this, they are all none the less watchable as examples of early horror films whose influence can still be seen in far more modern movies from the genre...

First up... is a short film from 1895, directed by Alfred Clark, produced by Thomas Edison and with cinematography by William Heise. The film depicts the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (which actually took place several centuries prior to this film being made) and is believed to include the first example of an "edit" as well as providing a foundation for stop-motion animation. For the purposes of this article, despite a running time of around 20 seconds, it is notable for being the earliest example of an horrific act portrayed on film... or, in other words, the first horror movie in cinema history! :-)

As with a lot of these early films, we are fortunate to have copies of them in the public domain... which, for Roku users, means they are widely available on YouTube as well as other free resources for streaming online video. Feel free to watch this movie online, or use the link to cast from YouTube (via Roku player) and watch it on the big screen for maximum shock value! Either way, here it is:-

Our next movie is a french-made horror short, which went by the original title of "Le Manoir du Diable" and was first released in 1896. When released in the United States it was known by the name of "The Haunted Castle" while, in Britain, the title of "The Devil's Castle" was used. Many regard this film, written and directed by Georges Méliès, to be the first true horror movie... with it's story of a bat flying into an ancient castle and transforming into Mephistopheles himself, before conjuring-up a young girl along with various supernatural creatures, one of whom brandishes a crucifix in an effort to force the devil-vampire to vanish. Personally, I'm sticking with Alfred Clark's film for that honour, but I will perhaps credit this as having the first film depiction of a vampire... since, although Georges Méliès credited his character as Mephistopheles, there are still many horror elements one would normally associate with vampires which are exhibited by Mephistopheles in this film. These include the transformation from bat to human form, conjuring a harem of demonic brides, apparent mesmeric control, and the ability to conjure humans and creatures to serve him.

As with "The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots", this Georges Méliès film is in the public domain and, therefore, widely available online as well as being free-to-stream on Roku devices. For the sake of simplicity, I'm sticking with YouTube as a means to share this film with you. Again, please feel free to watch this movie online, or use the link to cast from YouTube (via Roku player) and watch it on the big screen, as previously suggested. Either way, here is a link for you to watch it:-

There's also another version with an added score, featuring "Lacrimosa" by Mozart, which some of you may prefer. Méliès would typically not add scores to his films and was known for allowing each movie theatre to select and play something of their own choosing. So, while this is not the original accompaniment to the movie, I feel that Georges Méliès would have approved of this soundtrack! ;-)

Our third movie is another french-made offering but, this time, it's from the Lumière brothers - Louis and Auguste - and was originally released in 1897 under the title of "Le Squelette Joyeux" but others may know it as "The Dancing Skeleton", or "The Merry Skeleton", in some parts. Either way, it's a pretty appropriate title for a short film which is essentially about a skeleton that dances joyously, often collapsing into a heap of bones, before quickly putting itself back together again.

Just like "The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots" and "The Haunted Castle" [aka Le Manoir du Diable], this historic gem from the Lumières is also in the public domain and, therefore, widely available online as well as being free-to-stream on Roku devices. As before, I'm going to stick with YouTube as a means of sharing this film. Again, please feel free to watch the movie online, or use the link to cast from YouTube (via Roku player) and watch it on the big screen, as suggested earlier.

Last but by no means least, for today, is another film by Georges Méliès... released in 1898 under the original title of "La Lune à Un Mètre", but better known to British audiences under the english title of "The Astronomer's Dream", it is more of a fantasy horror short: about an astronomer who falls asleep and has a strange dream involving a fairy queen and the moon. A plot summary written in 1907, by Lubin Films, describes the storyline thus:-

"Our story begins with the astronomer intently poring over his books. Suddenly, in a cloud of smoke, Satan appears and surprises the astronomer. At the command of the Fairy Queen, who suddenly appears, Satan vanishes; she awakens the astronomer and as he goes forward to meet her she, too, disappears. The astronomer is very much excited and, rushing over to the telescope, tries to discover by what means she had vanished..."

For me, the highlight of this film is when the astronomer is "attacked" by the moon in his dream. Georges Méliès depiction of the moon as something to be feared, with it's evil eyes and vicious fangs, make for a fantastic watch in this early fantasy horror short. You can imagine what it will be like just by taking a look at this poster created for the movie:-

Anyway... you probably guessed already but, if not, this film is also in the public domain and, like the other three films in this article, is widely available online as well as free-to-stream on Roku devices. As before, I'm sticking with YouTube as my means of sharing this film with you. Again, please feel free to watch the movie online, or use the link to cast from YouTube (via Roku player) and watch it on the big screen, as suggested earlier in this post.